


A good thing

by Folieacutie



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 00:29:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11264229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Folieacutie/pseuds/Folieacutie
Summary: “Bobby, you can’t keep doing that to him.”Bob raises his eyebrows, putting down his fork. “Doing what, Alicia? Corralling our son into talking about his crush?”"Exactly."Or, A fic about Bob and Alicia noticing Jack's feelings about Bitty before even he does.





	A good thing

 

Bob Zimmermann is kind of messy, only a _bit_ of a smart ass, and just a tad hard of hearing. Yet even without perfect hearing Bob can’t miss the affection in his son’s voice when talking about a certain line-mate.

Bob Zimmermann is many things, but he is no idiot.

“Did you get that paper done for your…what was it again- american pie class?”

Bob looks over his shoulder just in time to see Alicia send an appraising look from the couch. He catches a hint of a smile.

He winks back and she rolls her eyes in return.

Bob turns again to the large window, the white light blinding him for a moment. The large expanse of grass is still littered with snow, lining the way down to their lake. A blank sky hugs the horizon.

“Women, food, and American culture, Papa.”

“Right. So how’d you do on the paper? Did Eric help you out?”

Even without checking he knows Alicia has put down her book to glare at his shoulder blades.

“I can write my own papers, Papa.”

There he goes with that tone again: _“Papa”._ The infamous tone one’s child always uses for their parent. In another time it might’ve annoyed him but Bob is just glad his son is alive to say it. There were a few months (years, really, if he’s honest with himself) he didn’t know how long that’d stay true for. Always waiting for another phone call like…. like…-

“Oh really? Here I thought Eric had to help you with _all_ your assignments.”

A pillow whips into the back of his head, and he turns around to scoop it back up and wail it at Alicia.

“…Is everything okay over there?”

“Yes-” Bob huffs out, trying to contain his laughter. “It’s just _your mother-”_ They volley the pillow back and forth until he throws it into the dining room. “- _Trying_ to annoy me.” He flicks his hair out of his eyes.

Alicia knew exactly what he was trying to do.

Bob puts his hand over the phone and whisper-shouts to her, “Okay, _fine_ , kill a man for wanting his son to talk more about his crush. It’s not a crime!”

“Anyway,” He lifts his cell back up and holds Alicia’s gaze again, daring her to talk. “How’d the paper go?”

“…It was fine. I… I only had trouble with the presentation part.”

Bob waits.

“Bittle … _did_ give me some tips. I knew I was being too stiff last time.”

He breaks out into a grin. He knows what’s coming, he just has to stay quiet…

“And, uh, I think it worked. ‘Cause Bitty’s so outgoing, you know, he really helped me with not sounding so… he’s very talkative, and knows how to seem natural in front of crowds and people in general. He moves his hands a lot. I know he doesn’t like his accent but it’s better than mine and, uh, our classmates are always charmed by him. I paid for his coffee today to say thanks. He got one of those pumpkin espresso- latte things. They can’t be good for you but…but they- he- they taste sweet.”

Alicia barely holds in her laugh when Bob starts fist pumping like he scored a goal.

“That’s great son! Bitty sure knows how to charm anyone.”

“Ha ha, yeah. Did I tell you how he wasn’t even supposed to be in the class?”

He had, but Bob denies it just to hear it again.

 

~~~

“Bobby, you can’t keep doing that to him.”

Bob raises his eyebrows, putting down his fork. “Doing what, Alicia? Corralling our son into talking about his crush?”

“Exactly. He’s going to tell us when he feels comfortable telling us.” They knew Jack wasn’t straight. That much came out after the overdose.

Bob gives her a look. “I don’t even think he thinks he has anything to tell!”

“Our son isn’t _that_ oblivious.”

For a moment they share a silent conversation with their eyes over the place mats.

Bob finally explodes. “He bought the kid _coffee_ , Alicia! It was practically a date!” He points his fork at her, “Which, by the way, is several of many he’s told us about over the past few months!”

She hurriedly stabs some asparagus and does not meet his gaze. “I still don’t think it’s appropriate, teasing him like-”

“I wasn’t the one who asked him about the pie.”

Alicia looks up with a gasp, mouth agape. “It was too delicious to not inquire about and I did _not_ _know._ ”

Bob laughs. “Bull _shit_! You found the little note attached-”

“Any one of his friends could have written it-”

“With the initials EB?”

She screws up her face, grasping for a retort. Not finding any she lets her her hand flop onto her lap and sighs. “He’s just _so obvious_ Bob! I don’t understand how he doesn’t see it?”

Bob chuckles until it morphs into a sigh. “I don’t know, Love, I don’t know.”

 

~~~

The day of graduation Jack comes back into the car with a goofy grin on his face. Besides a rushed, “Hi Maman, papa,” he sits in complete silence while thumbing at his phone.

Bob throws Alicia a knowing glance and knocks her shoulder.

“ _Texting?_ ” He mouths to her.

She lifts her eyes to the ceiling but smirks all the same. They both look in the rear view mirror.

In the back, completely unaware, Jack smiles down at his screen, a blush high on his cheeks.

~~~~

Alicia ends the call and ventures back into their bedroom. “He says hi and that Eric is doing good.”

“Oh so _now_ it’s okay to ask him about Eric? We don’t even know if they’re _officially dating yet_ , Alicia.”

“Oh shut up.”

~~~~

They frown at the television, the play showing again and again and again: A puck hitting their son in the face on repeat.

_“Look at this, he takes the puck, starts dangling it, and just slams it into Zimmermann’s chin! Tha-”_

_“No, no it’s obvious Zimmermann goes to block the puck-”_

_“With his_ face _?”_

_“After playing all that collegiate hockey maybe he forgot the visor stopped above his mouth, eh?”_

_“Hah, good one Rich. But even so…”_

Bob and Alicia usually turn off the sound when watching their son’s games; A habit after hearing so much negative media scrutiny over the years. Yet Alicia figured they might get some medical updates. Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all. Desperate measures with annoying commentators…

“Have you tried reaching management? The coach?”

“Yes. They won’t answer either.” Bob scowls at his phone, “You know just as well as I do that these things take time, he’s probably getting looked at by the-”

Bob is about to call again when Georgia’s contact lights up his screen. He puts it on speaker.

She cuts right to the chase: “Hi Bob, sorry for the wait. He’s fine. Nothing broken, jaw is okay, no teeth missing. However, he _is_ getting a few stitches on his chin.”

Both he and Alicia let out shuddering sighs of relief, Alicia collapsing back into the couch. “Oh thank god.”

“That’s great news. Thanks for letting us know, George.” He allows himself a smile, “Are they fixing his chin after the game or…?”

“He’s decided to not go back in.”

Alicia sits up, immediately sharing a look with her husband. There’s a minute of hesitation where they throw expressions back and forth, until Bob gazes down at his screen and asks, “Are you _sure_ he’s okay?”

After being assured repeatedly that yes, their son voluntarily went into surgery early and therefore missed the end of the game, that no, he didn’t have a concussion or any career-ending injuries, they accept the news with some suspicion.

“Again, thanks so much for letting us know, George.”

“Never a problem, we’re all glad he’s okay. We’ll keep you updated.”

Then they sit with the T.V on mute waiting for Jack to call. 

The screen displays the highlights of the game that includes Jack’s slip-up, but also the Falconer’s winning.

Finally, amidst the silence Bob lets out a huff, his brows furrowed in confusion. “…Did he really decide not to go back in?”

“I guess.”

“That’s so…”

“Un-like Jack?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe this is a good thing, Bobby.” Alicia suggests softly. She leans into him, her head against his shoulder. “Maybe he’s not putting so much pressure on himself anymore.”

Right on cue, a call from Jack comes in.

“Hey Jack,” Bob says, once again putting it on speaker. They both sit up straighter.

“Hey papa.”

He sounds perfectly normal.

“How are you feeling, bud?”

“Good. Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys. I was on the phone with Bitty-” Bob raises his brows at Alicia, but doesn’t say anything, “-they wanted, the guys, to know how I was.” Jack pauses. “Uh… George said she called you?”

“Yeah she did, she updated us on your condition. She said your surgery went well.” Alicia answers.

Bob can’t help himself; “She also said you decided not to go back in?”

“Yeah, I actually didn’t have to stay out but I did.”

“…Okay. Any particular reason why you didn’t?” He perches on the edge of the cushion and then notices Alicia’s insistent glare, “I mean. It’s _good_ that you didn’t have to, because you don’t-”

“No, no it’s okay. I…I didn’t feel the need. The team was up by two points, and, you know,” Bob can imagine Jack shrugging, “it was okay to not go back in. I got to get my stitches done earlier, get home earlier, got to call everyone, talk to everyone.”

“Okay. That’s good. Anything else happen?” Bob means anything else about the game, or the surgery, but apparently Jack has a different line of thought.

“Yes. Did you know Bitty passed his French exam?”

Bob is so caught off guard he nearly laughs right into the phone. Instead he hands the device to Alicia and walks away to cough it out.

“We didn’t, no.” He hears her say as he stumbles for some water.

“Yeah he only got an 80 on it, but he’s improved a lot.”

“That’s great, Jack… were the other boys trying to call you about the hit?”

“Oh. They were, yes.”

“…How long will your stitches be in for?”

“Two weeks I think? Not a big deal.”

They talk a bit more and eventually Alicia tells him to get some rest.

“Dad says good job, and that he loves you. Remember to put the scar cream on.”

“Will do.”

She puts the phone down.

“He called Bitty before us.” It’s a statement, a fact, but also a revelation of sorts.

“He did.” Alicia smiles.

“ _And_ he didn’t go back into the game. Didn’t even care. Started talking about Bitty.” Bob laughs and pulls her into a hug, presses his face into her hair. “This is a good thing.”

She can’t seem to answer except for a choked-up noise, but he can feel her head nod.

 

~~~~~

Jack’s text, “ _can we skype? With maman too? I have news”_ comes as both a shock and a relief; Bob has suspected Jack might reach out for a while now. He answers back, “ _yes”,_ and yells for Alicia to join him. She flurries into the room, already tense.

“What’s wrong? I swear Bob if you broke the coffee ta-”

“ _No_ , I didn’t. Nothing’s wrong. At least, not that I think.”

Alicia raises one eyebrow.

“Jack wants to talk to us.” Bob clarifies.

Alicia raises her other eyebrow.

“As in _talk_ to us. On skype. He ‘has news.’”

“ _Oh_.” She pulls up a chair and tentatively opens the laptop. “Do you think he’s going to tell us?”

“I have a feeling.” he slides his hand into Alicia’s. She smiles and they share a short, tender kiss, his free hand framing her cheek.

“You ready for this?”

“…Of course.”

She scrunches her nose at him, grins, “Only a little nervous, huh?”

“Hey,” he gives her a peck, “there are worst things. Like breaking the coffee table.” Then he mutters, “I just hope we handle this right.” 

They watch as Jack’s Skype account reads _online_.

“Hi,” Jack says when the connection clears. He seems calm, except for when his eyes dart to his lap and when he fiddles with his shirt collar.

“Hey son. What’s up?”

Jack looks down again, swallows. “I…wanted to talk to you guys about something.”

“Sure,” Alicia clutches Bob’s fingers tighter. “Go ahead.”

They don’t even have to wait a full two seconds before it happens.

“I’m dating Bittle.”

Alicia’s hand comes to her mouth. “Wow, that’s _great_ , sweetheart!” Privately Bob thinks, _Pah, what an actress._

Externally Bob nods and says, “So glad to hear it, Bud! You’ve seemed a lot happier lately.”

“I _feel_ a lot happier lately,” Jack admits with a blush. He runs his fingers through his hair and meets Bob’s eyes. “He makes me really happy, papa.”

The smile that graces Bob’s lips is soft, “Thanks for telling us, Jack.”

Jack nods and takes a moment. “Bits and I figured it was okay, and since we’ve been dating for almost six months now-”

“Six months?” Alicia leans in, “since what, June?”

“May.”

“ _May?”_

“Graduation.”

“Since _graduation?_ Oh my god! You’ve been able to hide it since graduation? What happened at graduation?”

Bob wants to send her a look because now _she’s_ the one fishing for details, pretending to play dumb.

Jack shrugs, his face still red, but instead of embarrassment there’s a sense of giddiness. “After dad talked to me I kind of ran to the Haus and,” he smirks, “worked ‘The Zimmermann Charm.’”

Alicia scoffs, “What even _is_ that? I’ve certainly never seen it from _you_ before, Bobby.”

“Sure you have.” Bob whispers. He picks up her hand and kisses it ever so delicately, dotting his lips along her knuckles all while looking right into her eyes. When she flushes he gives her a smirk.

Upon Jack’s cough Alicia turns back to the screen, taking her hand back, “Again, no idea. So, you’ve been dating since _graduation_? This is such great news, Jack.”

“I’m glad you guys are okay with it. I know…. I know that not being straight in the NHL isn’t the easiest thing.”

“Of course we’re okay with it; we love Bitty.”

“We do. He’s such a source of light in your life.”

“Down-to-earth, as sweet as pie.”

“And Jack, it won’t be easy, but… are you planning on coming out soon?”

“I…” Jack sighs, “I don’t think so. Not for a year at least. We’re just telling our families right now- well, except, you know, Bitty’s- I’m just unsure about the Falcs. I know the Samwell team and they’re always great with stuff like this, they’re family, you know, so that wasn’t hard but… I…the Falcs…”

“Jack.” Bob says, “Anyone you feel deserves to know.”

“Really?” His voice sounds so hesitant it makes Bob frown a bit. “Because I wanted to ask your advice on that. You know more about the inside of the NHL than I do.”

“Well, it’s not like…” Bob purses his lips in thought, “It’s not like there’s _never_ been a gay player on a team. It’s different in private groups.”

“Really?” He repeats. “What do you mean?”

“Everyone in the NHL understands how the media is, even back when I played. We all valued our private lives. It’s understood that what you share in the locker room isn’t meant for people outside your team… for the most part anyway.”

Jack blinks, leaning back in his chair.

Bob continues, “It might be a little surprising, but I’ve known a few guys here and there, and, while none of them chose to come out, it was usually a casual thing like anyone else’s relationship. Not to say you won’t get a few assholes, but it depends on the team.”

“Oh.”

“Yep.”

“Who…?”

Bob blows some air out of his nose and gazes at the keyboard, “I don’t think I can go into detail.”

Immediately Jack nods, sitting forward again, “Okay. So… you think I can come out to them?”

“If you trust them and know their views well enough, I think it’d be okay.”

Jack’s smile is bigger than he’s seen it in a while, “I think I will, then. Marty and his wife keep inviting me for dinner along with the others and…maybe I can bring Bits.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

They beam at each other. Bob tries to forget the times that smile was sparse. “Speaking of dinner,” Bob says, “when is Bitty coming over for some with us?”

**Author's Note:**

> So... Sorry if that ending was abrupt. I had three other scenes to add but none of them felt right? Specifically how Jack would come out. If any of you have suggestions/ want to read more, lmk! Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
